The 2025/26 UEFA Champions League Matchday 3 became the highest-scoring matchweek in the competition's history, with 71 goals tallied over 18 games. Tuesday's action produced 43 goals in nine fixtures, while Wednesday added 28 more in the remaining nine. Standout performances included hat-tricks from Fermín López and Kylian Mbappé, alongside dominant wins for teams like Arsenal, Barcelona and PSG.
Matchday 3 of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League shattered previous records, surpassing the 67-goal mark set in the 2024/25 season's Matchday 5 and Matchday 1 of the current campaign. The league phase format contributed to the goal frenzy, with six games featuring five or more goals and only three ending 0-0.
On Tuesday, Barcelona crushed Olympiacos 6-1, powered by Fermín López's first career hat-trick and a penalty from Lamine Yamal, alongside a brace from Marcus Rashford. Arsenal delivered a statement 4-0 victory over Atlético de Madrid at Emirates Stadium, with goals from Gabriel, Gabriel Martinelli and a quickfire brace by Viktor Gyokeres; this extended their unbeaten home run in the competition to 14 matches, having scored 27 goals without conceding under Mikel Arteta. PSG demolished Bayer Leverkusen 7-2, while PSV Eindhoven routed Napoli 6-2. Other results included Manchester City 2-0 Villarreal, Newcastle United 3-0 Benfica, Borussia Dortmund 4-2 Copenhagen, Inter 4-0 Union Saint-Gilloise, and a 0-0 draw between Kairat Almaty and Pafos.
Wednesday's slate saw Chelsea thrash Ajax 5-1 after Kenneth Taylor's early red card, with Enzo Fernández and Estêvão scoring penalties; Estêvão became Chelsea's youngest Champions League goalscorer. Liverpool overturned a 1-0 deficit to beat Eintracht Frankfurt 5-1, with goals from Hugo Ekitike, Ibrahima Konaté, Cody Gakpo, Dominik Szoboszlai and Florian Wirtz. Bayern Munich won 4-0 against Club Brugge, featuring a goal from Harry Kane, who tied Kylian Mbappé for the top-scorer lead with five goals each. Real Madrid edged Juventus 1-0 via Jude Bellingham's rebound finish after Vinícius Júnior's shot hit the post. Sporting CP came from behind to defeat ten-man Marseille 2-1, with Geny Catamo equalizing and Alisson Santos scoring the winner. Galatasaray prevailed 3-1 over Bodø/Glimt thanks to Victor Osimhen's brace, and Athletic Club secured their first win 3-1 versus Qarabağ. Draws included Monaco 0-0 Tottenham and Atalanta 0-0 Slavia Praha.
The 71 goals highlight the expanded format's impact, averaging nearly four per game, as noted by UEFA statistics.
